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See the exact Psalms 51:2 form guide with morphology, clause role, and guardrails.
OpenForm Insight
How וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י Works in Psalms 51:2
A focused form insight on Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular in Psalms 51:2.
Focused term וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י ū·mê·ḥaṭ·ṭā·ṯî H2403 Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Psalms 51:2 - BSB
Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
The Question
How does וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י function in Psalms 51:2?
Short Answer
וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י is a Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular in Psalms 51:2. The form clarifies that the second cleansing request is personal and directional: the speaker asks to be cleansed from his own sin, not merely from a generic problem.
What the Form Is Doing
וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י appears in Psalms 51:2 as a Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular. The prefixed preposition and first-person suffix mark sin as the source or stain from which the speaker asks to be cleansed.
The conjunctive waw links this phrase to the surrounding plea, the prefixed min marks separation or removal, and the first-person suffix makes the sin personally owned by the speaker. The form serves the request for cleansing rather than standing as an isolated dictionary entry.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
The form clarifies that the second cleansing request is personal and directional: the speaker asks to be cleansed from his own sin, not merely from a generic problem.
The form directly shapes Psalm 51:2's second cleansing plea by marking what the speaker asks to be cleansed from.
Translation Effect
The prefixed preposition and first-person suffix directly support the English phrase "from my sin."
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not build a full doctrine of sin or cleansing from the construct form, the prefixed preposition, or the suffix alone. The form clarifies the phrase relation inside Psalm 51:2.
Grammar should serve context, not override it.
Grammar should serve Psalm 51:2, not override the psalm's confession and mercy context.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:2 links the English rendering "from my sin" with וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י, Strong's H2403, and the morphology tag Conj-w, Prep-m | N-fsc | 1cs.
When teaching Psalms 51:2, use this form to show that confession is not abstract. The speaker asks God to cleanse him from his own sin, while the verse and psalm carry the theology of mercy and cleansing.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not build a full doctrine of sin or cleansing from the construct form, the prefixed preposition, or the suffix alone. The form clarifies the phrase relation inside Psalm 51:2.
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Grammar should serve Psalm 51:2, not override the psalm's confession and mercy context.
- Do not treat the prefixed min as a complete doctrine of removal or forgiveness by itself.